Old Donington 1985 Concert – Free Metallica Download of the Week

Did you know that you can legally download live Metallica concerts online? Since March 2, 2004, Metallica have been recording their concerts and making them available for fans to buy online from an official website dedicated only to the live shows. On top of the shows fans can pay for to download, the band has also opened up their vault to certain shows that fans can get for free!

The vault covers shows that date as far back as 1982 and as recent as the band's soundcheck at the Orion Music + More festival in Atlantic City, N.J. Each Friday, we'll cover one of those shows from the vault that you can download for free; hopefully it will make your weekend that much better.

This week's featured Live Metallica download comes from Donington, UK. On Aug. 17, 1985, 'Tallica played the 'Monsters of Rock' festival at Donington Park. Headlining the festival was ZZ Top. The full bill included Marillion, Bon Jovi, Ratt and Magnum - Metallica played between Bon Jovi and Ratt.

Opening with 'Ride the Lightning,' frontman James Hetfield gave one of the most memorable quotes of his career after the second song. "We're Metallica and I have to tell you something from the start," Hetfield says as he introduces the band to the UK. "If you came here to see spandex and f---ing eye make-up and all that s--- and the words 'rock 'n' roll baby' in every song, this ain't the f---ing band. We came here to bash some heads for 50 minutes. Are you f---ing with us?" As the crowd cheers in support of Hetfield's promise, the frontman hands things over to bassist Cliff Burton as he kicks into one of his signature bass solos, leading into the beginning of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' (Hetfield's statement can be heard at the end of 'Ride the Lightning,' while Burton's solo starts on the 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' track).